Pembroke Pines Firefighters Get Free Olive Garden Meal

Special lunch treat for firefighters in Pembroke Pines for Labor Day

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A local Olive Garden delivered a special lunch to firefighters at the Pembroke Pines fire station on Labor Day.

The restaurant chain celebrated the holiday by serving local fire stations, police departments or hospital emergency rooms nationwide. Locally, firefighters at the station at 129th Street and Pines Boulevard were the lucky recipients of the meal.

"We have tons of volunteers this morning," said Olive Garden General Manager Chris-Ann Rose. "They're all lighting up, big smiles, we all want to get out and give back."

Rose's staff at the Pembroke Pines restaurant on Pines Boulevard showed up a few hours early to prep jumbo salads, pack breadsticks and make lasagna from scratch.

"No one ever remembers the fire folks and the folks of service, until you really need them," she said. "So for us it's a great chance to get out there, shake their hands and say 'thank you.'"

This year, more than 800 Olive Garden restaurants are participating in the event, now in its 12th year.